Jim’s WebLetter for 9/12/15

Hey, wanna buy an Apple? It’s incredible, it’s amazing, it’s … Apple next generation. I watched most of the September 9th presentation of the newest things from the Apple factory including 3D Touch and Live photos in the new iPhone 6s, the larger than ever iPad Pro with 12.9 inch screen and 4 gigs of power, the stylus called Apple Pencil (something Steve Jobs said they would never have), and Apple TV complete with a Siri-powered remote. Surprises during the two-hour webcasted event included a rep from Microsoft talking about how Office was now offered in the new iPad Pro, and Adobe’s rep touted the new apps for iPad. Clearly, all I could say about that was, it’s about time. To me, if Google, Microsoft and Apple actually worked together, I believe they could turn out the product of the century in tablets and phones. But that’s for another day. Toucharcade did a good synopsis of the event that makes for a fairly quick read … http://toucharcade.com/2015/09/09/apple-september-9th-media-event-recap/

Of course, if you’re like me, you’re in no hurry to spend the funds on a new anything. After all, the starting price on that new iPad Pro will set you back some $800. My iPad Air does just fine for most anything I want to do. Of course, it would be nice if it could split-screen so I could have my Pages app up while researching each week for this WebLetter, but, one learns to adapt. I use Pocket to save sites and stories I come across. It’s a nice cross-platform app so I can see it on my LG phone as well as the iPad and my Nexus 7 tablet. https://getpocket.com/

If you have the desire to find a book to settle back with your tablet, here’s a list of places offering free ebooks to download and enjoy. Of them, Open Library is a good go-to site because there are around a million books to chose from. Granted, some of the books are those you can only check out for a period of time, like a regular library, but the fact is you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home to get it. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1746228-6-websites-to-legally-download-ebooks-for-free/

Maybe you missed it this week, but England’s Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning monarch in history. And while she has seen and done a lot of things in her 63 year reign, something new was added to the list. Google Maps added a figure to the search when you look for Buckingham Palace. Google UK announced on Twitter Wednesday morning the arrival of “PegMa’am,” a royally decked out version of the little peg figure everyone uses to switch to street view in Google Maps. Here’s the story from Mashable … http://mashable.com/2015/09/09/google-uk-queen-peg-maps/#EXxKmkaOLEkU

Finally this week, I saw a statistic that said baby boomers are turning 65 years old at the rate of 10,000 a day. For those of you looking at retirement, or you know someone who is, read this article from MakeUseOf. Writer Joel Lee did the research and found 7 of the best Web Apps for soon-to-be retirees. It includes a life calculator, helpful ideas for making the transition and, of course, the social security planner. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-best-web-apps-people-approaching-retirement/

===HuMoR===
Dad is from the old school, where you keep your money under the mattress — only he kept his in the underwear drawer. One day I bought my dad an unusual personal safe, a can of spray paint with a false bottom, so he could keep his money in the workshop. Later I asked Mom if he was using it.
“Oh, yes,” she replied, “he put his money in it the same day.”
“No burglar would think to look on the work shelf!” I gloated.
“They won’t have to,” my mom replied. “He keeps the paint can in his underwear drawer.”
(Thanks, Brian)
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Faced with hard times, the company offered a bonus of one thousand dollars to any employee who could come up with a way of saving money.
The bonus went to a young woman in accounting who suggested limiting future bonuses to ten dollars.
(Thanks, Mike)
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Have a great weekend friends … may God bless you and keep you safe.